Heath sits quietly in the grass, watching Ricardo. They're careful not to get too close, but still. It's nice just to sit in the sun and spend some time together, even from this distance. "It's been a rough couple'a months," Heath sighs and Ricardo nods, playing with Andre's fingers as he listens.
"I could tell," he says. "When I read about your injury, and how intense the surgery was..." He exhales, shakes his head. "I can't even imagine going through all of that."
Heath nods, picking at some of the grass. "Yeah," he says glumly. "I was so excited to hit the ground runnin' with Impact too, this really knocked me on my ass, y'know." He tilts his head back, lets the sun dance over his skin for a few moments. "Now I'm doin' better, but... ain't much going right still."
"Maryse," Ricardo guesses quietly, remembering seeing her on Raw the week prior with Mike. "This going to be permanent?"
"Dunno," Heath says. "I mean, I get doin' it for awhile to promote the show, whatever, but it's... never all that easy to watch." He bites his lip, looks over at Ricardo. "At least Alicia only comes by every now and again, you know she's safe otherwise, working on designing and whatever else. Maryse is... happy to do this thing with Mike, and I..." He closes his eyes. "I know she loves me. I know she loves the girls. But..."
"Well," Ricardo says, taking advantage of the tense silence Heath falls into. "There's no doubt Maryse loves you, and Mike loves AJ. The chances of those two doing something to ruin that..."
Heath bites his lip. "Yeah, I mean, logically I know that, but..." He shakes his head, shoulders slumping. "Just wish she'd stuck to realty or just... anything but this."
Ricardo thinks back to his relationship with Paige, how quickly, how unexpectedly, things had fallen apart there. The pure heartbreak of finding out she'd started cheating on him with Alberto. How it still eats at him sometimes, and casts doubt on his relationship with Alicia even when things between them are good. Despite this knowledge, he isn't sure what to say to comfort Heath, to make him more confident in his life with Maryse, with the girls. He sighs and leans forward, wishing he could comfort the man better, hug him, or maybe even just tease him a little, get his mind off of things. "She probably thinks the same thing sometimes," Ricardo offers. "But for now, this is just the way things are. Her stays with WWE never last long, probably once Miz and Mrs. is done for awhile again, she'll be back at home with you and the girls full time. Just gotta be patient and hold on to that, Heath."
"Patience ain't my best subject," Heath says softly. "But I'll try."
Ricardo smiles. "Really that's all you can do."
Later, once the sun has set, and things are cooler, Heath takes his leave. Ricardo ventures inside, rests Andre in his crib, and kisses his forehead before going to look for Alicia. She's resting on the couch, scribbling away in her notebook, and when he leans down to kiss her, she smirks and tugs at his collar, drawing him in even closer. Their next kiss is slow, hungry, enough to curl her toes against the rough fibers of the couch and his against the wooden floor.
"Everything alright?" she asks quietly once they manage to pull apart.
"Yeah," he sighs, resting his forehead against her. "Just... Heath having issues with Maryse once more working with Mike."
"Understandable," she murmurs. "I'm sure you talked him down though."
"Did my best," he admits, eyes fluttering as she runs her fingers through his hair, smiles at him. "I love you so much," he tells her, watching as her eyes soften, the warmth in them overwhelming to him even after all of this time.
"I love you too," she informs him, tugging him close once more and wrapping herself around him, kissing him deeply.
It hasn't always been easy, they're sure to have more issues, petty and earthshattering, in the future, but for now, life feels pretty damn perfect, the two of them cuddling on the couch while their son sleeps in his room and Sofia relaxes down the hall after a very generous dinner.
